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(No Model.) l Y F. M. UHLER.

GRAPPLB. No. 358,182. Patented Feb. 22, 1887.

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` UNITED STATES FRANCIS M. UHLER,

PATENT OFFICE.

0F VANO, KANSAS.

GRAPPLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 358,132, datedFebruary 22, 1887.

Application filed July 29, 1886.

.T0 all whom it mayconcern.-

Beit knownthat I, FRANCIS M. UHLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wano,

-in the county of Cheyenne and State of Kansas, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Grapples, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in grapples for raising pipes orrods from Artesian, oil, or driven wells; and it consists in thepeculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be morefully set forth hereinafter, yand particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my grapple adapted toengage a rod. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the same. Fig. 3visa transverse section taken on the line a: x of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is anelevation of a modified forni of my grapple adapted to engage a tube ina driven or other well.

A represents avertical socket or head, which is provided with dependingarms B, the

lower ends of which are curved or flared outwardly, so as to make aninverted-funnelshaped opening between the lower ends of the arms, andthus adapt them to readily engage barbs, andthe shanks of the saidcatches are.

provided with vertical central slots, e. At the lower ends of the saidslots, and communicating therewith, are'vertical grooves e, whichreceive the tongues C on the inner sides of the depending arms, and thusadapt the catches to move vertically on the inner sides of the arms andguide the saidv catches on the said'arms. Set-screws F pass through theslots e and enter the arms B from the inner sides thereof at the upperends of the tongues C, and thus secure the gravity-catches to the armswhile permitting the former to slide .Serial No. 209.460. (No model.)

freely up or down. The upward movement of the catches is limited by theshoulder formed at the lower end of the vertical socket A, and thedownward movement ofthe gravitycatches 5 5 is limited by the shouldersD.

G represents a strap, which passes around the outer sides of the arms B,so as to prevent the lower ends of the said arms from diverging. r Y

The operation of myinvention is as follows: When a rod becomes lost inthe well, the grapple is lowered therein until the lower ends of thearms B strike upon the upper end of the rod, and by reason of theoutwardly-daring form of the lower ends of the arms the upper end of therod is directed between the arms, and as the grapple is lowered thereonthe catches E strike against the said rod and move vertically on theinclined sides of the arms 7o from the rod, and thus permit the upperends of the latter to extend up between the arms for a considerabledistance. The descent of the'grapple is then arrested, and the catchesE, by their own gravity, slide downwardly on 7 5 the inclined sides ofthe arms B, and the shoulders or barbs at the lower ends of the saidcatches bear against the upper end of the rod and embrace the sam'eandclamp it firmly between them. The grapple is then raised, and 8o thefriction of the heads of the catches against the sides of the rod causesthe catches to be forced still farther downwardly on the inclined sidesof the arms, and thus wedge tightly against the sides of the rod, so asto prevent 8 5 the grapple from losing its hold upon the rod, and as thegrapple is elevated the rod is raised with it, as will be very readilyunderstood.

In Fig. 4 I show a modified form of my invention, in which I substitutea vertical head gc or bar, H, for the socket A, and provide the lowerend of the said head or bar with a point,

I, to adapt it to readily enter the upper end of a tube in the well.Opposite sides of the head or bar, near the lower end of the same, areattened, as at K, and inclined outwardly toward theirlower end,andprovided with guiding-tongues L, corresponding to the tongues C ofthe before-described grapple. Gravitycatches E, of the same constructionas those 10o previously described, are secured on the inclined attenedsides of the head or bar, and

move vertically thereon. When the sharpened lower end, I, enters theupper end of the lost tube, the catches E are raised until the lower endof the head or bar enters the tube for a suitable depth, and when thedescent of the said head or bar is arrested the catches E movedownwardly by their own gravity and cause the shoulders or barbs attheir lower ends to mpinge tightly against the inner side ofthe tube,and thereby lock the head or bar irlnly thereto, and the tube is thenraised by elevating the grapple, as previously described.

Having thus described my invention, l claim- The combination of the heador soeket having the inclined sides provided with the verticalguiding-tongues and the shoulders at the lower ends of the said tongues,and the vertieally-movable catches fitted on the inclined sides, andhaving the vertical slots to receive the guidingtongues and theshoulders or barbs at their lower ends, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS M. UHLER.

Witnesses:

R. M. JAQUA, J. B. CALIFF.

